1. PohTayToez got it perfectly. The only thing I'd add is to go for VGA/DVI if your TV supports it. The quality is much, MUCH higher than more traditional RCA/SVHS.
2. Yes, you need some sort of TV Tuner. Newegg has tons to pick from, but we need to know your price range and expandability. If you have a desktop, do you have free PCI slots? If so, a WinTV PVR-150 is great, especially if you also wish to capture video and perhaps burn to a DVD.